Emails show Maxwell’s panic amid sex claims

GHISLAINE MAXWELL and Jeffrey Epstein panicked and plotted together to discredit their accusers, newly released emails show.

The messages show the British socialite and the US paedophile talking about how to respond in 2011 and 2015 when accuser Virginia Roberts went public.

In messages from 2015, Maxwell said, ‘I am out of my depth’, about calling Ms Roberts a liar, and feared being sued for defamation. Epstein told Maxwell she could ‘issue a reward’ for information that would undermine Ms Roberts, who claimed Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew.

They also talked about sending a copy of her purported criminal record to journalists to discredit her. It is not known whether such a record existed.

The emails were part of the 460page deposition made public this week by a US court.

It was taken during a defamation case against Maxwell, 58, who has denied separate criminal charges that she recruited 14-year-old girls for Epstein, who killed himself in prison last year, to abuse.

The emails show that when Ms Roberts went public with her story in 2011, it caused shockwaves in Epstein’s world. On March 10, Maxwell and Epstein were included in a group email which appears to be from a lawyer talking about how to respond to the reports. Soon after, Maxwell emailed Epstein what seems to be a draft statement from her saying that Ms Roberts was 18 when she met her.

Ms Roberts initially claimed that Maxwell recruited her when she was 15. She later changed that to 16 after realising she had been mistaken. Another email appeared to be a draft of something to send to journalists for guidance – the author is unclear. It reads: ‘You will also presumably draw attention to the fact that prior to filing her suit against Mr Epstein, Ms Roberts fled the US to avoid being arrested for grand theft.’ It adds: ‘Police report available.’ The story next exploded on January 1, 2015, when Ms Roberts alleged for the first time she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew – who denies her claims.

On January 3, Maxwell emailed an unknown party, likely a lawyer, to say: ‘I’m out of my depth to understand defamation, other legal hazards and I don’t want to end up in a lawsuit. Apparently, even saying Virginia is a liar has hazards.’

Roberts sued for defamation in September 2015, and the case was settled in 2017.

‘I don’t want to end up in a lawsuit’